£28m Leeds United exit's past transfer 'doubts' as Championship rivals confirm manager appointment

Leeds United host Derby County on Saturday as they look to bounce back from just their third loss of the season at Blackburn Rovers. Daniel Farke’s side followed their previous two defeats with comfortable 2-0 victories and will hope that trend continues, with three points enough to put them back into the automatic promotion places - even if only for 24 hours.

Farke revealed on Thursday that he will be without Sam Byram for Saturday’s game while a late call will be made on Junior Firpo, who picked up a small knock in training. The Leeds boss also confirmed Ethan Ampadu is ahead of schedule and could return in the next couple of weeks. With all that in mind and ahead of Saturday’s game, the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories surrounding the club.

Summerville admission

Crysencio Summerville admits he had doubts over leaving his native Netherlands for England back in 2020. The Dutch winger was just 18-years-old when he swapped Feyenoord for Leeds following the agreement of a £1.3million fee, initially going into the under-21s before earning a first-team spot.

Despite winning a handful of Premier League appearances previously, last season was Summerville’s first as a regular starter at Leeds, an opportunity he grabbed with 20 goals and nine assists in the Championship earning him a £28million move to West Ham United. Now 23, the tricky winger has reflected on that first major career decision he had to take.

"It was a very big decision to go to England,” he told Dutch outlet Voetbal International (via 1908.nl) “In the beginning I had my doubts, but then you go anyway. When I look back, I am very grateful for all the lessons and the ups and downs. That has made me the person I am today."

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Managerial decision

Cardiff City have confirmed the appointment of Omer Riza as manager on a permanent basis. Riza took over as interim boss after Erol Bulut was sacked in September following defeat to Leeds, and the Bluebirds’ uptick in form has earned him a contract until the end of this season.

“We’ve clearly seen a change for the better in playing style and performance during Omer’s time as interim manager with some encouraging results,” Cardiff owner Vincent Tan said upon confirmation of the appointment. “After careful consideration in recent weeks as to what the best decision was for the club and this squad of players, I’m very pleased to give Omer this opportunity and wish him well.

“Our targets, clearly, are to climb the Championship table and further develop a squad that has youth and ability at its core. I thank our supporters for their patience during this critical review period and hope we can all enjoy better times during the remainder of this season.”